Left leg, hip and back...
 

When there was suspicion of back issues that could have cause my PN, I had an MRI a year ago. My back was found not to be in the best shape at all, but they still could not connect the PN with my back.

My back has been bothering me more then ever mostly on the lower left side. Lately I have also had horrible left hip pain which will also shoot down to my knee and then down the left leg. Sometimes it will run down the back of the leg, but mostly it follows down the side, hip, knee, leg. I want to say it feels more like a sciatica.

My question is, can something go wrong in the hip or pelvis that can cause sciatica or PN symptoms as well? Can something there become compressed? I have never had an MRI on those areas. Thanks...

Have you considered chiropractic care? {there are good ones out there, same as with drs and PT - just have to find them...}
Chiropractic care info- a good one can help with many symptoms:
http://www.upcspine.com/self.htm
http://www.uppercervical.org/subpag...b/about_faq.php
http://www.spineuniverse.com/index.html
http://www.coloradochiropractic.org/.../glossary.html

If not, find a good Physical therapist , I prefer advanced or a spine care specialist.

But at least an xray should be taken if not a MRI, just to check and see what might be the cause. Could be soft tissue/muscle spasms or something with the bones or disks.

Hope--
 

--absolutely, issues with pelvis, sacral joints, or the sacral spine area itself (which it seems very difficult to get doctors to image/consider) can lead to neuropthic symptoms/issues with the legs.

Many of the major nerves that go through that area,, with contributions from the nerve roots of the lower spine, have to pass through narrow/crowded areas and can get compressed due to inflammation, bony malpositions, ligament tightening . . .

Even the sciatic nerve gets branches not only from the lumbar nerve roots, but also from the sacral (s1 and s2) , so problems with that area might be reflected in the hip, buttock or all the way down the leg to the foot. I myself, despite a "normal" lumbar MRI, am trying to get the sacrum/sacral/hip areas imaged; a physical therapist does think I have a hypermobile left sacroilac joint allowing too much movement and possibly leadign to nerve impingment--I'm still looking for solution to my intermittent leg symptoms and my right pudendal/bladder area vibrations set off by jostling to the area such as by walking . . .

Here's an interesting graphic for you to peruse--do your symptoms correspond to any of these distributions?

http://www.utmem.edu/gim/smalltalks/le-neuropathy.pdf

Your symptoms definitely sound like mine, and mine is due to a pinched sciatic nerve (1974-75 - carrying bricks to pave a patio).
It flares up every few years, even almost ruined a Wales/Scotland vacation when I bent over to tie my shoe, on the 2nd day of a 3 week vacation (1987).
Slept on hotel floors for the next 2 weeks.
Walked really crooked & 'bent' until it subsided.
(Lotsa pain all the time, when it flares)

Glenn, this is a fascinating diagram! I truly believe something is going on here. I also have had problems with the pudendal area. In the diagram, I can really see the paths that my pain has followed. I'm just trying to think about who would be the best doctor to approach about this and possibly get some answers. Thank you....

Oh Bob, ouch! Of all times for it to flare up....on your vacation...:(

I think one would need--
 

--a good neurologist who is willing to go outside the box (hard to find, of course). But shuch a person would hopefully not assume that a normal MRI of the lumbar spine means there is no possible nerve impingment somewhere else.

I'm sure there are some good ones out there, but I personally have not found orthopedists very helpful.

A good physiatrist/physical medicine physician might be a good choice, as they tend to be trained in mutliple modalities and more wholistically.